Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Swiss President Guy Parmelin have reaffirmed their commitment to deepening India-Switzerland relations, with a strong emphasis on advancing the three pillars of bilateral cooperation: Trade, Technology and Talent.

Speaking after delegation-level talks at Hyderabad House, Ministry of External Affairs Secretary (West) Sibi George said President Parmelin’s visit is the first bilateral visit by a Swiss President to India in nearly a decade, following the visit of President Doris Leuthard in August 2017.

George noted that the latest engagement restores momentum to high-level political exchanges between the two countries. India’s last state-level visit to Switzerland was undertaken by former President Ram Nath Kovind in September 2019, while Prime Minister Modi visited Switzerland in 2016 and later attended the World Economic Forum summit in Davos in 2018.

A central focus of the discussions was the India-European Free Trade Association Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA), which has emerged as the key economic pillar of the relationship. The agreement is expected to drive substantial long-term investment and industrial cooperation between India and the EFTA bloc comprising Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.

According to the MEA, successful implementation of TEPA could facilitate investment worth about ₹8.4 lakh crore into India over the next 15 years and support the creation of one million direct jobs. The agreement is also the first trade pact involving India to include a specific investment and employment commitment.

Switzerland remains India’s 15th-largest trading partner, with bilateral trade exceeding ₹2.1 lakh crore. Swiss investments in India have crossed approximately ₹92,000 crore, while more than 340 Swiss companies operate across sectors including pharmaceuticals, precision engineering, logistics and financial services.

The two leaders reviewed ongoing infrastructure partnerships that highlight Swiss technological expertise in India. Swiss company VSL Engineering has played a role in the construction of the Chenab Bridge in Jammu and Kashmir, the world’s highest railway bridge. Swiss technology supplied by Bartholet has also been deployed in the Varanasi urban ropeway project, India’s first urban ropeway transport system.

Swiss involvement in major Indian infrastructure projects extends to aviation as well, with Flughafen Zurich investing in the development of the Noida International Airport at Jewar.

During their talks, Prime Minister Modi and President Parmelin assessed cooperation across trade, investment, infrastructure, science, technology, innovation, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, education, skills development, mobility, nuclear energy, space, climate action, environmental protection and cultural exchanges.

Both sides also identified opportunities in emerging sectors, including advanced manufacturing, precision engineering and artificial intelligence. The growing popularity of Ayurveda and Yoga in Switzerland was also acknowledged.

A major outcome of the visit was the exchange of five key agreements aimed at strengthening people-to-people links and professional mobility. These include the Migration and Mobility Partnership and the Exchange of Young Professionals Agreement, both designed to facilitate movement of skilled professionals, students and researchers between the two countries.

Additional outcomes included a mobility cooperation arrangement involving Switzerland’s Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research and India’s Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, a Letter of Intent between India’s Department of Science and Technology and the Swiss National Science Foundation, and an implementation agreement involving Zurich University of Applied Sciences and the Department of Science and Technology.

Science and technology cooperation featured prominently in the discussions, particularly joint initiatives focused on green electric mobility and clean energy policy. President Parmelin is also scheduled to participate in the Indo-Swiss Research Flagship event and the Prosperity Summit linked to TEPA implementation.

Artificial intelligence emerged as another important area of engagement. Prime Minister Modi expressed India’s readiness to support Switzerland as Geneva prepares to host the next global AI Summit in June 2027, with both sides emphasising responsible AI governance, ethical technology deployment and skills development.

In the strategic domain, India and Switzerland agreed to explore greater defence cooperation through training programmes and industry-to-industry partnerships. Swiss firms were encouraged to examine opportunities under the Make in India initiative through joint development and production projects.

The Swiss side’s expertise in high-altitude and mountain medicine, trauma care and emergency response was also highlighted as an area with potential for future collaboration.

Prime Minister Modi additionally invited Swiss participation in WAVES 2.0, encouraged leading Swiss universities to establish campuses in India and urged Swiss financial institutions to expand their presence in GIFT City, Gujarat.

Beyond bilateral matters, both leaders reaffirmed their support for dialogue, diplomacy, respect for international law and a stronger multilateral order at a time of significant global uncertainty.

George said the priority following the summit is to convert the understandings reached during the visit into tangible projects, investments and partnerships that deliver measurable outcomes.

President Parmelin described his meeting with Prime Minister Modi as a reflection of the excellent relationship between the two countries, built on mutual trust, respect and strong economic foundations. He said the discussions provided an important opportunity to reinforce the shared commitment to taking the partnership to a higher level.

The three-day state visit concluded with both sides signalling that the future trajectory of India-Switzerland relations will increasingly be driven by closer cooperation in trade, advanced technologies, innovation, talent mobility and investment-led growth.

ANI